Through the Fire and Flames
by Supaiko
Summary: Sorry I kinda changed it, couldn't come up with enough words for part 3...
1. Part 1

Part 1

The young korbat sighed. Everything was dark outside; almost pitch black. It always was when it rained at night. His body was soaking wet, baggy jeans making it hard to move around a lot. He felt a branch hit the side of his head. In the distance, he heard his name called, but didn't respond. Ahead of him, he heard a soft whimpering sound. He ducked into a hollowed out tree to find a young female kougra.

"Hello?" he asked softly. "Are you alright?"

The kougra nodded her head. Through the gloom, the korbat could see she was crying. He sat beside her, head tilted to one side.

"Something's wrong," he said quietly. He could feel her shaking.

The kougra shook her head.

"You scared?" He smiled when she nodded after a moment's hesitation.

"Call me Burakku," he said.

Burakku took the small Christmas kougra into his arms, rocking her gently. She clung to his soft chest fur, even though he was wet.

"I'm Alex," she said softly, after a bit of time had passed.

Burakku looked down; her eyes were drooping. He began to hum softly; he'd a nice voice, for a korbat. She began to fall asleep as his humming reached her ears. Soon, to Burakku's relief, she stopped shaking and fell into a deep sleep. Outside, the rain continued to pour, and his family continued to search the town for him.

As he lay there with the sleeping kougra in his arms, he thought about his home. He didn't want to go back there; they didn't understand him at all. Let them look; he didn't care. Presently he began to think about how Alex had come to be here. Through his thinking, he became aware that something was moving around outside.

He gently shook the sleeping Alex.

"Wake up," he said softly in her ear.

Her eyes snapped open when thunder crashed overhead. Burakku put a paw over her mouth to keep from screaming. He gently turned her head so that she saw the ominous red eyes looked around. Alex clung tighter to him.

As quietly as he could, he moved to the entrance of the tree hollow, keeping Alex in his arms. He set her down; without saying a thing, she understood to get onto his back. He knelt so she could climb onto him then stood back up, keeping his arms hooked around her legs.

He began walking as quietly as he could away from the beast, deeper into the forest. A twig snapped under his weight, and the ghost korbat took off running. The creature behind them started toward them, growling and snarling.

"Alex," he over his shoulder, "Hang on tight!"

Alex gripped the short mane on the back of his neck as he held his arms out wide. The wind that whistled through the trees caught in his wings, lifting him and Alex into the air. She squeaked softly as he left the ground.

"Are you strong enough to carry me for a long time?" she asked worriedly.

"Don't worry about me," he replied. "You're small and light, I can handle it."

Burakku beat his wings once, soaring into the open sky. Flying would be hard on him in the rain, but he had to get them both to safety. As he flew, he felt Alex's small paw fiddle with his earring.

"Why do you have an earring?" she asked.

"I don't know. Maybe because one day I want to be a pirate?" he laughed. It quickly died as something crashed through the treetops. Alex screamed in surprise.

"Alex," Burakku called over the growing wind, "What's following us?"

"A darigan skeith!"

"But why-" Burakku cut himself off.

His wings beat the air hard as he increased his speed even more. He winced slightly as Alex's claws dug into the nape of his neck, holding on tighter. Tonight was going to be hard on him.

Behind him, the minion roared. It was angry that the pets were getting away. Burakku angled his wings slightly, and entered his maximum speed. He quickly pulled away from their pursuer.

"Tonight will be long and hard," he warned Alex.

He shot off into the darkness and gloom of the night, disappearing in the distance.

Sunlight poured over the dense forest. Burakku had lost the minion skeith long ago, but had not stopped flying to gain even more distance between them.

His breath was ragged and he was flying close to the treetops as he continued on. When he saw a small river, he landed gratefully, making sure to set Alex down. They both drank deeply from the river before sitting back to rest.

"Now that I can hear you, how did you come to be out in the forest?" Burakku asked her.

"Well, a while ago I left my dad," Alex began. "I was pounded, therefore separated from him. I managed to escape the pound, and I was living in the forest a few days before the storm," she explained. "What about you?"

"Well, I grew tired of my family not understanding me, so I figured I would take an unannounced trip for a week or two," he replied.

He sighed and leaned against a tree, putting his hands behind his head. He gazed at Alex, trying to understand why she'd been pounded. She was so young, still delicate, if you will. As he watched her, he saw her face turned the lightest shade of pink.

"What?"

"Nothing," Alex replied, looking away quickly.

Burakku shrugged and looked up at the clear sky. From the corner of his eye he saw her steal another glance at him, but said nothing.

"I know someone who would love to adopt you," Burakku said after awhile.

"Really?" Alex replied with hope laced into her voice.

Burakku nodded. He had only just regained his breath when a crashing noise startled him. Alex squeaked and jumped into Burakku's arms, and he caught her thanks to his fast reflexes. He stood up, holding her close.

His eyes narrowed slightly, searching for the source of the noise. He chuckled when he found out what it was and set Alex down,

"Don't worry," he said, "It was just an old tree falling."

Alex let out a sigh of relief. Burakku took her hand and began to walk, trying to keep moving. He walked a bit slower so Alex could keep up. They began to chat about things irrelevant to their predicament, eventually finding the topic.

"Where are we?" Alex asked him.

"I don't know," Burakku replied with a shrug.

Both he and Alex looked around, trying to figure out where Burakku had landed them.

"Maybe," Burakku said after a bit, "I landed in a part of the uncharted territory."

"Think so? It's highly possible. After all, if anyone should be able to recognize a forest it's a korbat, and you don't."

Burakku looked at Alex, surprise on his face.

"I'd no clue you thought like that," he said.

Alex grinned and shrugged, obviously pleased at the compliment.

"I'm smarter than most my age," she said proudly.

Burakku smiled, ruffling the fur on top of her head. He said nothing more, just attempted to get through the dense forest.

Their peace did not last long enough, in Burakku's opinion. They were suddenly blasted to the ground by a large explosion.

"How did they find us?" Alex yelled over the noise.

Burakku swept her into his arms and ran.

"I don't know," he replied. He chanced a look behind them; a line of explosions was going off. He pumped his legs harder, speeding up. He leapt off a small cliff, landing a bit heavily. The shock of the impact traveled up his legs and to his spine, causing him to stumble a bit. He quickly regained his balance and kept going.

"There! Hide in there!" Alex told him, pointing to a rather small looking cave.

Burakku didn't have time to argue. He stopped in front of it and set Alex down. She scrambled inside, the korbat following quickly. The entrance was a bit of a tight squeeze for him, but he managed to get in.

"Wow," he said.

His voice echoed around the large cavern. At its center sat a large pool, an eerie luminescent light being cast from the still waters. Burakku walked over to it, looking down. Alex gripped his pant leg, not wanting him to fall in.

"Look, Alex," he said with a small smile.

Alex peered over the side. The pool went down forever, disappearing into blackness. She looked up when she heard Burakku walking away from her.

"What is it?" she asked.

"I think this place is an entire system of abandoned tunnels and caves, going through the mountains."

He turned around to see her heading toward him.

"Stay here," he said firmly.

"But-"

"I said stay here."

With that, he turned and headed into the tunnels. He knew he'd find his way back; he had a rare gift. He found his way into a smaller cavern. Inside were barrels and barrels of some drink, still cold and fresh from the stone.

Burakku's curiosity got the better of him. He found a small wooden cup and dipped it into a barrel. Something that was not an everyday drink slid down his throat. It tasted of several different berries, yet had a fizzy tang to it. He dropped the cup when he heard Alex scream. He bolted back into the main cavern to see a minion holding her.

From everywhere, it seemed, minions, all laughing, surrounded him. They suddenly became quiet, and a darigan hissi slithered through the small opening they made.

"Who are you?" Burakku asked with a slight snarl to his voice.

The hissi smiled evilly.

"Ah, Burakku. My name is Dardran. I've been sent to retrieve you and Alex."

"Why?" Burakku growled.

"You are needed by my high queen. I'm not allowed to tell you why, however," Dardran replied.

Burakku leapt at him, snarling and baring his teeth, but two hefty skeith minions blocked him. He felt a sharp pain shoot through his head, heard Alex scream, and then everything went black.

The night sky was obscured, melting into the dark purple of rain clouds. Rain lashed down against the side of the stone building quite suddenly, lightning touching down miles away. There was no warning of the storm; it was unexpected. There was no wind; there was no thunder. The storm was silent, heavy rain quickly slackening off to a drizzle. It caressed Burakku's face as he was dragged along, his jeans and boots getting splattered by mud.

He was not under the protection of the umbrellas. His fur was completely soaked through, the cold of the rain welcomed on his burning chest. His eyes opened slightly.

Why was his chest burning?

He looked down to see a large gash running the width of his body. The rain was keeping it free of mud and dirt; thank heavens. He faintly became aware of someone sobbing softly; they were clinging to his stomach fur.

Through the dark, he could just make out the shape of a kougra. The weight from the other shifted slightly as he moaned.

"Burakku?" called Alex's scare voice.

She moved his hair from his eyes and peered at his face, minding his wound. Through his limited vision, the korbat saw his friend's frightened face. He gave a small smile.

"I'm alright," he said ever so softly.

Alex looked scared for a moment then must have realized what he said, for a relieved grin spread across her face. Burakku's smile faded as the open wagon bounced along the path, getting ever closer to their cell. More mud splashed inside; it was rather low to the ground.

They were in shackles, his right limbs chained to her left ones, Burakku's other ankle sporting a large iron cannon ball. One of Burakku's ears flicked as he heard Alex move.

She moved back a bit from his face, quickly lifting her hands from his chest when he moaned and closed his eyes tightly.

"I'm sorry!" she gasped, looking at him. Fear was unhidden in her large eyes.

He lifted a heavy arm and rested his hand on top of her head.

"It's fine," he grunted. "Don't worry about it.

Burakku sat up, grunting softly as his movements aggravated his chest wound. He pulled Alex into his lap, stroking her face softly. He was surprised to find she wasn't shaking. But he didn't let that stop him from humming softly.

The teen closed his eyes, rested his head against the wall behind him. It must have been about 10 minutes, but it seemed like one, when he felt Alex being roughly dragged off him.

"Get up, korbat," someone growled at him.

Burakku was hauled to his feet by his ears, hands being tied together behind him. Alex was in the same predicament. They were pushed from the cart, ghost falling heavily in the mud after trying to gain his balance. He bit his tongue, trying to keep from crying out with the intense pain that wracked his body.

The dark that shrouded the land was almost pitch-black. Even the guards had trouble seeing. Thankfully, though, Burakku could see just as well as in a moon lit night.

Normally, had he been feeling better, he would have used this advantage, but he was in too much pain. He and Alex were led into a large stone building lit by torches in wall sconces.

Through his black hair Burakku could make out the shapes of minions running to and fro as the small party trooped through a rather large atrium. So, this was the lair of whoever was hunting them?

Whoever was in charge obviously did not want to see them, as they were thrown in a cell. Unfortunately, the rain had begun again to lash against the wall of the building, getting in through the window.

"I'll get you when milady wishes to see you," Dardran hissed. The two were left alone, drenched in the rain.


	2. Part 2

Part 2

Burakku slept on his back, Alex draped over his stomach. The rain had long stopped, allowing them at least some sleep before whatever lay ahead happened. Someone closing the cell door wakened Alex. She lifted her head to see two trays of food.

"Wake up," she muttered to Burakku. He moaned in response.

She pushed herself from his stomach and wandered over to the food, eating appreciatively. Her small paw reached for her companion's food as well when his hand rested on her head.

"I hope you weren't going to eat my food," he chuckled.

She started, not having heard him move.

"I'm chained to you, remember?" He sat down beside her and ate the food quickly.

Right as he finished, another minion came to unlock the cell door. He grabbed Alex roughly by the nape of her neck, earning a punch from Burakku. The korbat caught her as she fell, and they followed the skeith like that, knowing full well they were heading to their doom.

By the time they entered the room, Burakku had had his arms tied behind him and Alex taken from his grasp. His head was bowed, ears gripped by two hefty minions. They forced him to his knees and put the small kougra down. Immediately she clung to her friend.

"So, these are the two who are mentioned?" a woman's voice said.

"Yes, milady," Dardran replied.

"A teenager and a kid? Oh well, I suppose that can't be helped."

Burakku glanced up, but wished he had not. His eyes grew wide when he saw who wanted them. This was bad, for both of them.

From her throne, the Darkest Faerie looked down at Burakku and Alex. The teenager's head was forced down again, but he was thankful it was. His large ears caught the faintest whimpering sound; Alex had become more frightened than ever when she felt her older companion start to tremble.

"What will you have them do, milady?" Dardran asked.

"The korbat, make him look at me," she replied.

Burakku felt something tug at his earring, and as a result he stood up, and his eyes met hers. A low growl formed itself in his throat.

"Oh, so I see. Put them to work, Dardran. Make them do something, anything, until I decide what to do with them."

Dradran gave an evil hiss of joy, 'Thank you, milady. Follow me, minions."

Alex was put back in her cell, separated from Burakku. He was taken elsewhere, and for the rest of the day she had no clue where he'd gone.

The korbat had been taken outside, where it was still pouring torrents of water from the sky. His hands were tied in front of him and a harness was strapped to his chest.

"Alright, korbat, you're going to plow this field and plant seeds!" Dardran informed him.

A sharp string on his side told Burakku to move. Looking behind him for a moment, he made a noise of disgust; Dardran was in a carriage on the plow, sheltered from the rain and mud.

Burakku dug the heels of his boots into the dirt, and to the surprise of Dardran, began to pull the plow. He ground his teeth, feeling the ends of his sharp canines touch his gums, as he hauled the plow along the field.

Anger flared up in the korbat as he worked; this was unfair, for anyone. The first moment he could, he'd take Dardran for a hostage.

Alex watched as two minions half carried, half dragged Burakku back to their cell. His head was bowed, and he was half covered in mud. His hands had been untied, so before they dropped him one of the skeiths put his shackles back on. They left with a clang after that, leaving the two.

A small paw shook the korbat's shoulder.

"Burakku?" Alex asked softly.

She moved the hair from his eyes to see them closed. A small sighed escaped her, seeing he was only asleep.

"Burakku," she said out loud, "Why did your bangs have to stop just below your eyes?"

Dardran came to collect them when the morning dawned. At least, they thought it was morning. The sky seemed to be lighter than it was, but it was still raining.

"Burakku, milady was so pleased with you that she decided she'd tell you why she needs you both," he told them.

Burakku picked up the kougra and followed Dardran, two minions at their backs. Once more they stepped into the large hall to see the Darkest Faerie.

"Here you are, finally," she said. "The reason I need you two is important to my plan. Both of you are special in some way, so I didn't randomly choose."

"And why are we so special?" Burakku interrupted.

One of the minions gripped his shoulder and began to squeeze, forcing him into submission. He sank to his knees, still keeping Alex in his arms.

"I mean to make you two my minions. With you on my side, nothing is lost from me!" the Darkest Faerie replied, cackling evilly.

"What?" Burakku and Alex shouted at the same time.

"Dardran, snap to it!" the Faerie yelled.

A minion grabbed Burakku, and he immediately stood and kicked it. The shackles fell from both his and Alex's limbs, much to the astonishment of the onlookers. The two companions stood back to back, or rather, back to legs, and stared at the group around them.

Claws were unsheathed when one skeith took a step toward them. A snarl ripped from Burakku's throat when he bared his teeth, Alex quickly following his example.

In one movement, Burakku tackled Dardran as the minions attacked them. Alex leaped under their legs, continued her game of 'Catch the Kougra.' The teen fought fiercely with his foe, biting and clawing.

"Catch them!" the Faerie screamed. "Catch them now!"

Not one dared to touch Burakku while he was fighting so ferociously, and none could catch the small and agile kougra.

Before long, Burakku had Dardran pinned to the floor. He was sitting on the hissi's chest, hands on his adversary's throat. His sharp claws threatened to pierce Dardran's skin, but didn't.

"Leave us be, Darkest Faerie," Burakku growled.

"And why should I?" she challenged.

"I'll finish off your little helper. I know all about him, so don't play me like he's not important. He keeps everyone in line, he's your key puzzle piece!" he replied with a snarl. "And without him, you'd be done!"

"But why should I let _you _go?" she asked maliciously.

"You can function without us, but not him," Burakku replied with a grin.

He began to press down on the hissi's throat, causing him to gag. His claws pressed harder, threatening to break skin.

"Alright fine, you go free! But beware, Burakku and Alex, I'll be after you again!" the Faerie hissed.

Scores upon scores of minions came filing into the room, all growling. They were armed to the teeth with swords and the like; ready to fight for their Queen.

"Are two small beasts so much trouble that you all must come to help?" the Darkest Faerie sighed. "Everyone else go, except those who were here! This fight won't take long."

Again, several things happened at once.

Burakku was knocked off Dardran, and landed on the floor heavily, holding his stomach. Something that shone bright flew in via an open window. Alex bit at a minion's hand, picked up by the nape of her neck, and pounced on her attacker's face.

"Stop, stop, stop!" the Darkest Faerie screamed.

That was all she had time to do. Fyora stood beside the stone, and as Burakku looked at her, something fell from her hand: the necklace that the Darkest Faerie needed for life.

Alex ran over to him, concern written all across her face.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

"Yea, fine," Burakku replied, sitting up.

He was holding his stomach still, but more from forgetting to take his arm off then pain. Alex touched the gash on his chest, and he winced. It had opened again.

"Burakku, Alex, you did well, I must say," Fyora said with a smile.

"Er… Thanks?" the korbat replied.

The teenager could not keep his eyes off the faerie's beautiful face. Her smile made her even prettier, if that were possible. She almost seemed to sparkle and glimmer in what light reached her pale skin.

"You will be rewarded for your brave efforts, to be sure. Things almost turned the other way, but thankfully I arrived just in time. The rest of you will be punished severely!"

Her voice rang through the room, and through, Burakku was sure, the entire castle.

"Queen Fyora, how did you find us? And, how did you know about us?" Burakku asked.

"I happened to be watching you two when you were captured, after that I kept an eye on you, and for a split moment I looked away. That proved almost fatal for you both, but thankfully I reacted quickly," Fyora replied.

Burakku and Alex watched as she came toward them. She seemed to float above the ground instead of walk on it. Burakku lost himself in daydreams about how she did that. Some of them were ridiculous, but he didn't control what his brain thought up.

She bent down in front of him and placed a hand on his chest, snapping him from his revere. He felt her cool hand against his burning wound, felt a power flow from her skin into the gash. The weirdest sensation befell the teenager as he wound was healed. When Fyora removed her hand, he looked down. A scar ran across his chest now, but it was perfectly healed and cleaned.

"I'm sorry there's a scar there, but I used most of my energy on turned _her _back into stone," the faerie said with a smile.

"Don't worry about it," Burakku said weakly.

"I'm going to send you both back to where this journey began," Fyora told them.

With a wave of her hand, there was a great flash, and in a moment Burakku and Alex had disappeared from the dank castle.

'Something's on my stomach,' Burakku thought.

He opened his eyes and lifted his head, letting his eyes rest on Alex. He was laying spread eagle on his back in the middle of the forest, outside their little tree haven. Everything was quiet, even the forest, but it wasn't eerie.

"Wake up," he grunted.

She stirred and yawned. He sat up, causing Alex to fall off his stomach. Sunlight streamed through the leaves, lighting everything under the canopy up. It was almost like the forest was on fire; the sun was setting and was a deep red color.

"Let's get home," the korbat said softly.

"But I don't have one," Alex reminded him.

"Come with me and you can stay with us for a few nights, at least until that owner I spoke of earlier arrives."

He picked her up and headed back for his house. His boots crunched the fallen leaves, but right now, everything felt safe. The sun was sinking lower and lower, the sky getting darker and darker. A chill wind blew through the forest, indicating the coming fall. Burakku held his small friend closer to him to keep her warm.

Neither of them said anything the rest of that day. Burakku stopped when the dark become complete, landing them halfway between where they were and where they were going. Thankfully, it was near a small stream.

The korbat set down the sleeping child before getting water. Once he'd washed his face, pants, and boots off, he lay down beside Alex. He noticed only then that they'd stopped in a glade. High above them a full moon shone down, casting everything under her in a pale gray light. Stars twinkled and laughed overhead in millions upon millions of little clusters.

Alex shook Burakku's shoulder. He hadn't realized that he'd fallen asleep until he woke up. Sunlight flared in his sensitive eyes, making him grunt and cover them with a hand.

"Finally!" Alex breathed. "Get up, let's get going!"

The teen yawned and sat up. It seemed like he'd gotten no sleep these past few days… Which, by the way, bordered on a week or so.

"Why so eager?" he asked sleepily.

"I want to see what your life is like, what a life better than mine is like!" Alex replied impatiently.

With a sigh, Burakku stood up. He picked her up and again they began to walk home. The kougra was pretty much forcing her friend onward, even though she wasn't walking beside him. However, after awhile of walking, they fell silent again.

"Burakku…" Alex said after a bit.

He had to strain his ears to hear her she was speaking so softly.

"…I love you."

Burakku smiled and kissed her on the forehead.

"Sorry to break your heart, kid, but you look for someone closer to your age," he replied.

At this, Alex smiled.

"I will, but I'll always love you too."


End file.
